Utah!

[Where The Wild Things Are]

Hello...I'm looking for Pekins in the Salt Lake area. I keep an eye on KSL.com, but nothing yet. I would like adults rather than chicks so I can introduce them into my flock easier (and babies are a lot of work...cute, but a lot of work). I currently have Rouen's, but I would like to add Pekins...they are beautiful birds (and won't fly off). Thank you.

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Quote:
Re: IFA.... That's how we ended up with banties... IFA doesn't watch the newspaper put down and they get stuck in the mesh and die. We saved what we could, some were too far gone already. And pasty-butt for sure! I pointed out some real bad ones and the clerk picked them out and stuck them in the back. I doubt they clean them, the "sick bin" is probably a warm dry place but likely where they go to die.

I hate shopping there at chick time, we're suckers. We got the sweetest bitty Red Pyle banty tho, she coos and chirps. The BB's were the ones that died.

I was thinking you have 50 chickens, wow! Then realized after I placed my order I'm up to almost 60. Yikes! Hopefully we'll be able to keep up with the eggs orders now.

Does anyone declare their egg money as a biz? What money we get is pretty much used for feed, coop mtl, supplies., etc. Just don't want to get in trouble. I don't write off any chicken expenses so I haven't claimed it.

julie

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
No, we ~ordered~ 50. I sold all but about 20 of them. We only (cough cough) have 32 at the moment.
The plan is, after I order/sell baby chicks, and sell "the big girls" (the 2 year olds) we should increase to about 40.

40 doesn't take much more work than 32 does it?

naw....

 

[UrbanGrower]

Quote:
West Jordan here, I bought 6 girls from Sunnybrooke to add to my others and all my birds went through a sick spell. They are all healthy and laying now but I was curious if anyone was able to determine what it was. I also bought feed from Christie which is working out well.

 

[ikatiemay]

Hi Urban, I dont know what our chickens had that we got from christie. We had to cull 3 because we were afraid they would infect all of them. That was the advice from our vet. Two had really smelly gooey stuff in the nostrils. It actually smelled like road kill. I called christie and left a message about the symptoms but she didnt get back to me. I live in Eden so it to far to use her feed, I get mine at IFA in Ogden.

 

[vermontgal]

Anyone know about a local source for muscovy ducks in greater Salt Lake area or surrounds?

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Christie Brown is pushing Ducks this year...

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Help?!!!

So in Salt Lake there was a small coop w/one lonely little silkie hen, who has been treated as a pet, sits on your lap to be brushed, etc. I couldn't resist and I could use a small coop for my upcoming chick order. ANYHOW's... precious little silkie is INFESTED w/mites! They weren't visible, even looked because the owner said he'd seen one a couple wks ago and gave her a bath. Also gave her a bath last night and didn't see any. We picked up her this afternoon, I looked and didn't see any.

So "Betsy" rides to Summit County on my daughter's lap in the back of the car. After we get home and Betsy is in a dog kennel we had fixed for her (coop hasn't bn picked up yet thank heavens). We put our tiny bantam in there for company but w/in 5 minutes it was obvious they weren't going to be friends so Izzy went back to the outside coop. Now DD's itching and tadah - little red mites start making their grand appearance. They are for sure not fleas.

I have never experienced this in owning well over 100 chickens. I had son googling what to do, daughter in shower trying everything from a vinegar wash, to epsom salts, then shampoo. I had sprayed a dog flea & tick spray (has pymethrin sp?) on the silkie (now in the bathrm sink). Asked my son to read the tiny print on what to do next.... "Do NOT spray directly on animals". Just great.

So she immediately gets a bath, flea & tick shampoo, then vinegar mix, epsom salts, rinse, repeat. By now we've run out of hot water and daughter and bird are shivering. Betsy let me hold her upside down, spread her legs, stretch her wings, scrub her vent. She had at least 100 of thse little buggers and just when I thought I got them, more would appear.

Finished the bath, used a white towel to dry to find and pick off at least another 50. I think I got close to getting rid of most. The dog kennel is now outside, I put fireplace ashes in with the chickens in the garage (which Betsy's cage was next to), and Betsy is in an incubator with hay and ash. She's dried out but hv a low wattage lamp for heat just in case. She was breathing funny but that seems to hv stopped. No interest in eating, she preened just a little and is now asleep. btw, her prior owners took her in the house every night and so she's used to sleeping in a small dog kennel for bedtime.

I never did pick up the DE (stupid). Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. I've googled and have read chickens mites can not spread to humans and other animals, but also read the opposite. These could also be mites from mice & rats since they lived right next to Cottonwood creek. No neighbors w/chickens and she was the only chicken. They are not microscopic bugs, tad bigger than a flea, red, flatter not fat, crawl no jumping.

I also wonder if the elevation or cold up here kill them and that's why I've never had them? We hv mice in the barn run around the chickens and still havn't ever had this.

Help! Any advice would be so very much appreciated. We all have the crawlies and husband isn't real thrilled w/the wife. Are my dogs and chickens in the garage in danger of getting them too (and maybe the outside ones for the brief encounter with Izzy)? I am in for a nightmare on chicken street?

Thank you for any help!
julie

Edited to add -- I am reading the mite thread here on BYC. Not sure where (or if) I can get Sevin (could on egg producers?). Still trying to identify if I we now hv "chicken mites" or ones fm mice/rats. I hope my description of them will ring a bell for someone with experience here in northern Utah (maybe they're different than warmer climates crawlies?). Oh, also read I could drench her in mineral oil and wash her with Dawn soap. Anyone tried these methods? I'm just at a loss. Hoping I didn't kill her and worried I've gone and infected every living soul here.

 

[PacsMan]

Quote:
Ok, you asked for it. (grin)...

1st, I've read too many horror stories about taking in adult chickens. I don't ever see myself doing it, and I've been offered chickens at least twice. Gotta agree with your husband on this one.

2nd, I wouldn't have put the new one in with your regular hens, even just for a second. 3 weeks quarantine is what they say. Also, it's usually best to add chickens when they're roosting (you may have already done that.)

3rd, sorry don't have any experience with mites. Sounds yuckie!

and last... I've got some DE if you need some tomorrow. PM me before 10 and I'll get you my contact info.

 

[vermontgal]

Quote:
Christie Brown is pushing Ducks this year...

Thanks a lot PacsMan, trouble maker.... Any other knowledge out there?

ElkCove you might be able to find Sevin dust at a hardware store if you need it while IFA is closed on Sunday. Check the % recommended for chickens vs what you might find for gardens.